1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to locks, latches, and similar mechanisms and devices, and particularly to a hands-free door latch mechanism including a hands-free lock mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Doors with latches are conventionally equipped with knobs or sometimes levers, requiring those devices to be operated by hand in order to release the latch and open the door. This has been proven to be a generally acceptable and workable means for operating doors, but there are certain circumstances in which such hand-operated devices are not suitable.
For example, it is well known that viruses and bacteria are commonly carried on the hands due to hand contact with innumerable articles and interaction with other people, as when shaking hands. It has been established that this often leads to the transmission of various illnesses, e.g., colds, flu, etc., from person to person. One of the most common articles with which the hand may come in contact is the conventional doorknob, or perhaps lever. Such door latch actuating devices thus act as disease vectors, transmitting diseases from one person to another merely by the act of persons opening and closing the door by grasping the knob or lever. This is particularly critical in medical facilities such as hospitals, doctors' offices, and the like, where persons with lowered resistance may be receiving treatment.
In other cases, people often have their hands and arms full when arriving at a door that needs to be opened. The conventional knob, or even lever, requires that at least some of the load be put down so the person will have a free hand to operate the knob or lever. This is inefficient at best, and in many cases the load being carried must be placed on the ground where it is subject to soiling or other damage.
Various mechanisms providing for the hands-free opening or unlatching of a door have been developed in the past. An example of such is found in German Patent Publication No. 2,518,819 published on Nov. 11, 1976 to Martin Gabler. This reference describes (according to the drawings, English abstract, and machine generated English translation) a door latch assembly having a lever actuated pull handle on one side and a pushbutton on the opposite side. The pushbutton operates a rod that in turn pushes a lever within the handle to release the latch mechanism.
Thus, a hands-free door latch mechanism solving the aforementioned problems is desired.